smartboot manager doesn't find my CDROM

**oljeogvann** · 08-29-2005, 07:53 PM

I have an old laptop that can't boot from CD.
I have tried to boot from a floppy using smartbootmgr. It gives me a disk error when i try to boot the CD.
Error
DISK ERROR! 0xAA

(IT's nothing wrong with the CD)
I have also tried to boot from floppy with syslinux boot. It doesn't help either.

But with the floppy syslinux boot diskette, i am able to find the cd device and mount it up. But HOW do i start the installation process from here?????

I can also find the CDROM when booting from DOS/Windows. So it's not a problem with the CDROM.
PLEASE HELP me. I have tried searching this forum without success.

**oljeogvann** · 08-31-2005, 01:25 PM

Loadlin fixed my problem.
Strange none of you could help here.

**rwcitek** · 09-01-2005, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by oljeogvann

I have an old laptop that can't boot from CD.
I have tried to boot from a floppy using smartbootmgr. It gives me a disk error when i try to boot the CD.
Error
DISK ERROR! 0xAA

(IT's nothing wrong with the CD)
...
I can also find the CDROM when booting from DOS/Windows. So it's not a problem with the CDROM.
PLEASE HELP me. I have tried searching this forum without success.

True. But there could be somthing wrong with the combination of that CD-ROM with that CD. If you search the forums for "0xAA" you'll find that one person's solution was to use a different brand of CDs.

Of course, there could also be something wrong with SBM.

Regards,
- Robert
http://www.cwelug.org

**rwcitek** · 09-01-2005, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by oljeogvann

Loadlin fixed my problem.

Care to share how loadlin fixed your problem?

Regards,
- Robert
http://www.cwelug.org

**Harry Kuhman** · 09-01-2005, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by rwcitek

you'll find that one person's solution was to use a different brand of CDs.

I certainly agree, changing brands of media may change the results. But I suspect that in many such cases the CD has been burnt at a high speed. Sure, burning different media might give you somewhat different results, and since high speed burns tend to be very marginal, sometimes work, sometimes fail, sometimes seem to work but boot slowly, sometimes work on one system but not another; I suspect that more problems can just be resolved by burning the same brand of media at low speed than by changing media brands and still burning at high speed. Of course, if the original burn was at low speed and still eratic, then a media brand change is called for.

**oljeogvann** · 09-02-2005, 04:15 PM

I am a novice with linux. I do not know which parameters to use to start Knoppix.
No one here was able to help me either.
I tried to load knoppix and ubuntu. And had success with ubuntu.

But i would appreciate if some one could tell me wich parameters tu use to start knoppix 3.9.
Both the RAM inst. and the HDA inst.

Here is what i did:
Booted with an win98 startup diskette that FOUND my CDROM at D:
Then loaded loadlin with the ubuntu kernel vmlinux , inird.gz and proper parameters.

I tried the same with knoppix without success. What is the propper parameters to use
eg:
Load loadlin (with the right parameters) from diskette in the linux directory at the CDROM:

d:\boot\isolinux\a:loadlin linux initrd=minirt.gz (and with the right parameters)

As you probably understand i have very litle knowledge about booting unix kernels.
But i want to understand, so please enlighten me.

**oljeogvann** · 09-02-2005, 05:58 PM

Regarding media quality and brand. This is not an issue here.
As stated in my first post SBM don't even find my CDROM drive.

The CD does not start spinning at all, when booted fram SBM diskette.

**Harry Kuhman** · 09-02-2005, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by oljeogvann

Regarding media quality and brand. This is not an issue here.
As stated in my first post SBM don't even find my CDROM drive.

The CD does not start spinning at all, when booted fram SBM diskette.

SBM can certainly be confused by non-standard interfaces, but I've always been able to get it to boot on the system I've tried it on. Can you tell us more about your CD interface? Can you give information on what type of interface it seems to be on (IDE being the best answer here)? Have you notived the settings in SBM that let you adjust for non-standard hardware settings?

It may well be that SBM might not work in the case of your hardware, but I would't give up on it just yet. It does sometimes take some persuasion.

**rwcitek** · 09-02-2005, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by oljeogvann

No one here was able to help me either.

Keep up that line and no one may bother to help you.

Originally Posted by oljeogvann

I tried to load knoppix and ubuntu. And had success with ubuntu.

How did you have success with ubuntu? Did you boot from the CD or did you use SBM?

I'm curious to know, if you don't put any CD in the CD-ROM and then boot from the floppy with SBM, does SBM recognize the CD-ROM drive?

Regards,
- Robert
http://www.cwelug.org